Blues boss Mick McCarthy says he knows nothing of links with the vacant manager’s job at his hometown club Barnsley, where he started his playing career, despite emerging as the bookies’ favourite to succeed Paul Heckingbottom yesterday.

“If I’m looking tired, I’m sorry because I had a long journey back last night!” McCarthy joked when quizzed on the betting developments.

Has he been contacted? “No, nothing in it and they haven’t been contacted. I was surprised yesterday morning when somebody came in my office and said, ‘You still here?’. I said, ‘What are you on about?’.

“And then the lads were taking the Michael, ‘Ay Gaffer, you still here?’. And I hadn’t seen it, they all came in and told me what was going on. I’ve not heard anything at all.

“And my mates, of course, in Barnsley are all sending me texts saying, ‘Are we seeing you at Oakwell soon?’. So anyway, I’ve said no. Next season maybe.”

Given his history at Barnsley, would he fancy the Oakwell job at some point? Is it one he has seen as one he’d like at some point in the future? “I don’t give that too much thought. I used to do, when I was younger and I started managing I used to think, ‘That would be great’ but I don’t give it any thought at all.

“Honestly, I’m enjoying my life here, where I live and the job I do and I don’t give any other job any thought, whether it’s the Ireland job or somebody else throws my name in and I have to come and answer questions about it. I can’t do anything about it.

“I hope they get somebody, whoever it is, and they stay in the league. That’s what I hope.”

So he’s at Town until the end of the season, barring a “ridiculous” offer from Manchester City or another big club.

“I really think that’s sad that you think it’s ridiculous Manchester City asking me to do the job!” he laughed. “Not half as ridiculous as I think it sounds.

“Of course, I’m here until the end of the season. I’m planning for next season in terms of players.

“I’m going out and signing Aaron Drinan and Barry Cotter and I’m already looking at loan players whoever it might be, people that might be coming available, planning pre-season, as I’m doing.

“I’m doing my job as professionally and as focused as I always am and talk of Barnsley and anybody else that might come up doesn’t bother me.”

Is it flattering to be linked with other jobs? “Yes, I guess it is. But who’s saying it? Is it a bit like if I’m not here and the Ipswich fans decide who they want and they find some, in their words, 'former player' or whatever they’re going to call us, that they like and think would do a good job, so suddenly all these names go viral?

"Is it one of them? Or is it a genuine thing? But it is nice when fans remember you fondly. It’s nice.”

Told that Barnsley fans are tweeting with the hashtag #bringmickhome, he added: “Do you know what’s really interesting in this? I think that it’s almost equal, it’s great when you get both sets of fans wanting me to go to Barnsley. Do you what’s really sad? I might be disappointing both of them!”

McCarthy dismissed suggestions he feels a bit unloved at Portman Road, despite a significant number of fans having made it clear they want him to move on both this season and during the previous campaign.

“No, I think there’s a very noisy minority,” he reflected. “No I don’t actually. I meet people in the town and I get mail and I get emails sent in.

“I’ve really got good support here, but I don’t think it matters what you do. I came back from a World Cup in 2002 and we’d got to the last 16 and there was a fair section that weren’t having me then as well for one reason or another.

“I’m never going to please everybody. But it’s funny because I guess the two people here who are reviled most are [owner] Marcus [Evans] and me and we’re the two people who are doing their best for the club.

“He’s keeping it afloat by sticking six or seven million quid in a year and I’m doing my best by having a small budget and finishing in really good positions, except for last season. So, the two people they want to get shot of are the two people who are doing most.”

He says he has dealt with similar situations in his 25-year-plus management career: “For sure, for certain. I get lots of support when I meet people. I almost get apologies from people saying, ‘Look, it’s not all of us’.

“And I don’t think it is for one minute. I would have thought that the fans at Sunderland had a great afternoon and enjoyed that performance and enjoyed the result. It’s winning games, that’s all it is, winning games.”

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"It’s winning games, that’s all it is, winning games.” Therein lies the rub McCarthy and is why a lot of Town supporters resent your pragmatically dull approach to Football. It isn't all about winning games (though that helps), it's about how you win them and your tedious take on watching paint dry is why I, and many others, don't have a season ticket any more.

Difficult to say what will happen in the summer, a lot of uncertainty. I would like Mick to stay but fans are split on this issue. Big risk to get rid of such an experienced manager at this level, so many fans would want him as manager of their club. Can see both sides of the argument though.

@essextractorboy - how many clubs in the top half of the championship would want MM as manager? It's only teams that will be fighting relegation. Would Sunderland fans have wanted him 12 months ago? I very much doubt it

@stretchyboy, a lot of clubs would want Mick as manager, if he's given even a fraction of the money the likes of Derby and Wolves are spending he would have us up there. Look at what he has done with the limited money he's spent this season in particular, Waghorn and Garner both in double figures and cost a combined 1 million approximately. He has got Sunderland and Wolves promoted and managed at international level. The lack of investment is the issue not McCarthy managerial ability.

All entitled to opinions but I just think Mick is a very good manager at this level.

The clubs wants financial stability, no risk of relegation and a tiny glimmer of a chance that we might make the playoffs. Mick does all that. The fans want to be entertained with attractive attacking football. Mick does NOT do that.

So you were only kidding when you were fluttering your eyelashes at the Republic Of Ireland a few years ago, Mick? Pah! Seems like he's now going to agree his option at town out of sheer cussedness. Irritating as he is, we could easily do a lot worse.

i honestly believe if people are going up to him in the street and saying what he says they are saying, they are the people who never go! Lets face it, if you never go and all you hear is he has no budget and he keeps us afloat, he keeps us competitive, it must sound great! Truth is, its awful and if all you want from your team is safety and to make the numbers up then, job done! But i want more. I have a mate a massive Barnsley Fan, who simply loves MM he also is proud of the pathetic tin pot paint trophy they won a season or so ago, say goodbye to winning anything if you get MM, he simply doesnt bother with trophies, he likes to draw and if possible bore them into submission!

Get the Cowley boy in, lets see what can be achieved when you have a desire and a hunger to win and to entertain the paying public! We need to get him first before someone else grabs him!

Gcon... there is room for every supporter, even you! Difference of opinion is what makes debate, no point in having a comments section on each thread otherwise. You may feel you are a true supporter because you accept everything and question nothing! I on the other hand along with others feel things need to improve and that improvement will start with a change of manager!

My opinion, which is just as valid as any self proclaimed " true supporter ".

Remember the big EADT/IS 2016/2017 post-season survey??? Remember it's counterpart the 2016/2017 TWTD Questionnaire??? And before that remember evens Phil's upon heavy 'popular-demand' long-awaited exclusive "MM poll"" about this time last year???

Nahhhh persons such a yourself (alongside of course the even more dreaded hardcore OCD's = "Obsessive Compulsive Downwvoters" of this beyond awesome website) seemingly living in a near constant 'Hear-No-Evil-See-No-Evil' STATE OF DENIAL regarding itfc, probably don't!!! ....But allow me to refresh your enlightenment then:

All 3 had a 66+% , roughly speaking, score in what I deem "DON'T WANT MICK AROUND ANY LONGER" rating (which obviously will differ from a pure "APPROVAL RATING", since a sizable number of fans obviously still sort of approve of what Mick is doing here, point-wise or even overall -- much hyped shoestring budget, "dumb" owner & all -- but nevertheless still is utterly fed up with either his grandiose personality and/or various aspects of his football philosophy, and therefore simply more or less DESPERATELY wants new blood in the form of a change in the managerial seat!!!).

Now not surprisingly some of your fellow Mick'inners here on TWTD ludicrously tried to discredit the reliability and hence the validity of especially the 2 wider post-season surveys ...citing several INCREDIBLE STUPID-SOUNDING things which supposedly was "wrong with them" (i.e. the surveys), with the clearly most overwhelming "objection" being about what is known as the SAMPLE SIZE. Sadly for those muppets, we happen to be a few real survey-savvy as well as math-savvy etc etc people here on TWTD, and thus I personally completely debunked in several of my posts at the time that there was anything remotely "wrong" or more specifically UNRELIABLE about the sample size ... or anything else accuracy relating with any of these 3 surveys! As a matter of fact all 3 but particularly the 2 wider surveys had an truly EXCELLENT "Margin of Error" or indeed so called "Confidence Level" with both figures well above the norm of the survey industry's own standard! Period!

Do have any ROCK SOLID EVIDENCE whatsoever that because of little rosy facts like that Mick did 1) somehow surprisingly managed to add a few *decent* offensive players pre-season and 2) subsequently had that very FLUKISH looking great start (flukish as in we clearly "nicked" many of them points back then in the early part of the season, through a combination of Bart, sheer Good Fortune and our own nifty opportunism, since we were VERY heavily outshot etc. in all but the Birmingham contest!) as well as 3) the reality that Mick *OCCASIONALLY* this season has played a clearly less UNDARRING formation (more offensive-minded players on the field simultaneously) than in any of his previous seasons here! and of course 4) also *OCCASIONALLY* surprises the heck out of all of us by making his ususually not-overly-creative-or-pass-strong assembly of 'Proper Blokes' to actual try, repeat at least try, to pass the ball nicely around predominantly on the FLOOR, as opposed to the rather mindless or pointless HOOFING ABOUT which after 5+ seasons had almost become "The Rule" rather than proverbial "Exception to the Rule"!!!

.... that any of these 4 things above, albeit indisputable all of a POSITIVE nature, hands down!, has moved the aforementioned very statistically *reliable* 66+% "DON'T WANT MICK AROUND ANY LONGER" rating any significant number of percentage points, particularly when additionally taking into account that Mick ALSO during this season is *accountable* for this :

A) Been on prolonged runs of both classic Jurassic BORE-BALL & piZzz poor form, during the latter with only Bart keeping us from being completely without points ...before that eaaaase of a Sunderland win!

B) His team almost exclusively beating (or beating deservedly!) only teams in the lower half of the league!

C) Once again shamefully & shambolically early existing out of both domestic cup tournaments!

D) Still very much practicing that INDEFENSIBLE favorism of his in the squad, including not giving some of the more exciting looking among our youngsters, like Downes, a FAIR chance and thus "succumb" to his usual M.O. on youth i.e. just lend them out to to quote 'get better elsewhere' instead of right HERE!

E) And last bust not least still eagerly practices & enjoys his very open and foulmouthed hostility towards the fans, i.e. the very customers of Indifferent Marcus's 'consumer product' here!

I don't believe for a second you, or one of your awesome "it's just a minority" brethren here, can actually present such ROCK SOLID EVIDENCE of a significant shift in opinion regarding wanting Mick to carry on @Gcon ....but please present whatever numbers you apparently "sit tight on" :-) :-) and prove me & any other Anti-MM'er out there wrong, I'm all ears!!!